英语听力精选进阶版 6163
时间：2018-10-22 06:11:48
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（单词翻译）
The Growth of Online Communities 社交网络使用的增长
Have you recently been poking1 your friends, twittering, or blogging? Well, according to a recent report from the global research company Nielson, you are most definitely not alone.
The report says that social networking and blogs have now become more popular than sending personal emails. Moreover, one in every 11 minutes online is accounted for by people using social network or blog sites.
The idea behind these sites is that of global online communities. To join a community you need to create a personal profile. Then you can connect with your friends, share pictures, music and your thoughts.
Social networks are not new but they are evolving. Almost all the networks popular in the UK can now be accessed from a mobile phone. Sites such as Facebook seem popular with a broad audience largely thanks to bolt-on applications which allow everything from photo-sharing to online gaming.
Not to be outdone, the longer-established sites are carving2 a niche3 for themselves in the online marketplace. Myspace is now largely accepted as the social network of choice for music fans and Bebo appears to be targeting younger audiences through the provision of parental4 controls.
One of the most talked about sites of late has been Twitter, with everyone from P Diddy to Barack Obama twittering about their daily lives. Whether this is a clever public relations stunt5 or a means of directly communicating with fans, it is undoubtedly6 fascinating social commentary.
Of course, there are those who fear that these online communities may in fact be anti-social. They are anxious that the more time people spend on these sites, the more difficult it will become for them to communicate in face-to-face situations.
We will have to wait to see the long-term effects but in the meantime we can rest assured that a large percentage of the world is online with us.
GLOSSARY 词汇表
poking 戳（在社交网站上常用的和朋友问侯的一个方式）
twittering 一个用户可以经由手机短信，电子邮件，即时通讯，或 Twitter 网站来更新的微型社交网络
blogging 博客
social networking 社交网络
online communities 线上社团
profile 概况，简介（用户注册时填写的信息）
connect 连接
evolving 进化，演变
bolt-on 附加的
applications 程序
not to be outdone 不想被超过
carving a niche 开辟一席之地
online marketplace 网上市场
parental controls 家长的控制
stunt 引人注意的举动，绝招
social commentary 社会评论
anxious 忧虑的
face-to-face 面对面
long-term effects 长期效应
rest assured 放心
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